If you are hosting a dinner, or going out for dinner anywhere in the North of India, you can be sure that Shahi Paneer would be on the menu. Not only in vegetarian formal dinners, but even in non-vegetarian dinners, shahi paneer is a vegetarian option. Shahi paneer comes with a catch- it is always the first dish to be bottomed out and its consumption reduces the consumption of all other vegetarian options. This is not the only challenge for the host, the other challenge is to get the taste right and ensure the freshness of the paneer. At small gatherings this is easy, when it comes to bigger gatherings, this becomes an issue. Reason being, you have reduced the quantity of all the other dishes on the menu and made double the quantity of shahi paneer; the problem is, the paneer doesn’t taste right. Hmm.
To avoid the above scenario most parties have started keeping two paneer options on the dinner menu, one is shahi paneer and the second can be, either Karahi Paneer or Paneer Tikka. Both, karahi paneer and paneer tikka, help in reducing the pressure and expectations from shahi paneer. You can pick and choose any recipe, but do ensure that there are no compromises when it comes to the quality of paneer, dahi and cashew nut paste.
It should always be saffron strands which give shahi paneer its color and not the turmeric powder. Another important tip, is to add green cardamom powder after all the cooking has been done and mixing it lightly. Enjoy!
